Protective effects of solvent fractions of Mentha spicata (L.) leaves evaluated on 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide induced chromosome damage and apoptosis in mouse bone marrow cells

Spearmint leaves (Mentha spicata L.) contain high levels of antioxidants that are known to protect against both exogenous and endogenous DNA damage. In this study, the protective effects of the hexane fraction (HF), chloroform fraction (CF) and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) in an ethanol extract from M. spicata were evaluated against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO) induced chromosome damage and apoptosis in bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice. Two (EAF; 80 and 160 mg/ kg body weight - bw) or three (HF and CF; 80, 160 and 320 mg/ kg bw) doses of solvent fractions or vehicle control (25% DMSO in water) were administered orally for five consecutive days. Upon the sixth day, 4-NQO was injected intraperitoneally. The animals were killed the following day. Other control groups were comprised of animals treated with either the vehicle control or the various doses of solvent fractions, but with no 4-NQO treatment. 4-NQO induced micro-nucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MnPCEs) in all the test groups. However, pre-treatment of animals with the solvent fractions significantly reduced the 4-NQO-induced MnPCEs as well as the percentage of apoptotic cells. The reduction of both MnPCE and apoptosis was more evident following the pre-treatment of animals with 160 mg/kg bw EAF

Consumer perceptions of beef healthiness: results from a qualitative study in four European countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Consumer perception of the healthiness of beef is an important determinant of beef consumption. However, little is known about how consumers perceive the healthiness of beef. The aim of this study is to shed light on the associations between beef and health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eight focus group discussions were conducted in four European countries (France, UK, Germany, Spain), each consisting of seven to nine participants. A content analysis was performed on the transcripts of these discussions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although beef was generally perceived as healthful, focus group participants expected positive as well as negative effects of beef consumption on their health. Labelled, branded, fresh and lean beef were perceived as signalling healthful beef, in contrast with further processed and packaged beef. Consumers felt that their individual choices could make a difference with respect to the healthiness of beef consumed. Focus group participants were not in favour of improving beef healthiness during processing, but rather focussed on appropriate consumption behaviour and preparation methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The individual responsibility for health implies that consumers should be able to make correct judgements about how healthful their food is. However, the results of this study indicate that an accurate assessment of beef healthiness is not always straightforward. The presented results on consumer perceptions of beef healthiness provide insights into consumer decision making processes, which are important for the innovation and product differentiation in the European beef sector, as well as for public health policy decisions related to meat consumption in general and beef consumption in particular.</p